The Physical Education Pupil Instructors, also known as PEPI, is a unique class at Athens, where students work with Special Education students during gym classes. The class teaches the student instructors leadership and educational skills and introduces them to a part of the student population who they would have never met otherwise.
“We help and encourage the Special Ed [Education] students to do fun physical activities. We taught them new sports and games. And we lead them through daily warmups,” said Ella Sterling, junior.
Sterling, like other PEPI students, makes lasting friendships with the students in the Athens Special Education program. Students in the Special Ed program are mostly separate from the rest of the student population, and for most of their high school years, they will only truly interact with one another and their teachers. But with PEPI, they get to experience gym classes with their peers and meet new people every semester.
“I think it’s a great opportunity if you want to get into teaching or you think this is like an avenue that you want to go [through], it’ll be good for you. If you want to just learn and work with different people and get comfortable being with different people, it’s a great opportunity,” said Tommy Smith, PEPI Instructor..
This year was Smith’s first year instructing PEPI, after the former teacher, Cyrene Hardy, retired. With Smith being both the football and flag football coach, as well as the PEPI instructor, he encourages all his athletes to grow as leaders through the PEPI program and bond with their peers in gym class. As of the 2025 Spring semester, there are around 10 football and four flag football players who are enrolled in the class.
“PEPI taught me more about the amazing Special Ed community here in Athens. The students were so sweet and were so happy to have new friends to talk to about their lives,” said Sterling., “I’m already planning on signing up for PEPI II next year because I had such a great time last semester!”
While every student is encouraged to join the program, PEPI is application only, as opposed to most classes, which are simply registered for. Application happens during registration time, and student applications are decided through information about the student’s past experiences, references, and personality.
“Originally, PEPI was for moving [around out of the school]. So, PEPI, the class would go to different elementary schools and would work with the elementary school kids. And then, after COVID, we just kept it based here,” said Smith.
It has been many years since PEPI has been at its full functionality. But Smith and other instructors hope that with the upcoming school year, PEPI will be able to not only help the Athens Drive special education students, but also Special Education students at elementary schools in the area. Because the PEPI program may extend past the Athens campus, one of the application requirements is a valid driver’s license, whether the applicant has one, or will get one within 6 months, another qualification is access to a car.
Already, Athens students have had experiences with their PEPI peers outside of the school, like mall trips or outdoor activities.
“We got to go to the mall with the students one Friday afternoon. We got to walk around with them through stores and eat lunch together. It was a great time!” said Sterling.
The Athens Drive PEPI program is not just a class where students do warm-ups and throw a ball around with our special education students; but instead a program of leadership and bonding, where. Where our future leaders of tomorrow are taught how to be better people today.
“They make each other better. I think that’s what it’s all about, community and making people better and helping people understand like we all need help. It may be a different type of help or whatever, but we are all one and the same. Everybody needs help. If we can help each other with a mentally, physically, socially, it’s all good,” said Smith.
